Portugal Colonial - Bagnaia takes pole position for the German MotoGP

The Italian will start Sunday's race at the top of the grid with reigning world champion and current overall leader Fabio Quartararo of France in second.

This is the third pole position of the season for Ducati rider Bagnaia, who is fifth overall in the championship standings and 66 points behind Quartararo.

Frenchman Johann Zarco secured the third spot at the front of the grid for the 10th MotoGP race of the season.

Less than a tenth of a second separated the three fastest riders.

Spain's Aleix Espargaro, currently second overall, Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio and Australia's Jack Miller make up the grid's second row.

Bagnaia has been in irresistible form all weekend and clocked a fastest time of one minute, 19.931 seconds in qualifying on Saturday.

Despite taking part in Friday and Saturday's practice sessions, Suzuki rider Alex Rins will sit out the German MotoGP on Sunday due to a fractured wrist he suffered earlier this month at the Catalan MotoGP.

Doctors had given Rins the green light to race at Sachsenring, but he opted not to ride in Saturday's final session, his team said in a statement.

Nogueira--PC